Islam Makhachev decided to move up to the welterweight category now that his friend Belal Muhammad is no longer the champion. Does this make him a coward? Ilia Topuria also decided not to face the contender’s office category anymore after winning the featherweight belt and moved up to the lightweight category. Does this make him a coward, too? After five straight title fight wins, the UFC Lightweight Champion is getting ready to make another step in his legacy in the weight class above. Five times is a lot for a title defence, isn’t it? While some compliment Makhachev for taking a risk at 170 lbs, others belittle him for not fighting Topuria.

Meanwhile, ex-UFC star Chael Sonnen, who is known for his trash-talking style in the combat sports world, allegedly labeled the Dagestani as a coward. This started a domino effect where Makhachev took a jibe at him, and even Ali Abdelaziz called Sonnen up. “Chasing hype and money is not the same as chasing greatness in sport,” Makhachev wrote on X. This remark then resulted in a flood of replies from ‘The Bad Guy’ on X. After this whole chaos, recently, Uncle Chael addressed this rivalry and vehemently denied calling Makhachev a coward. 

In an Instagram clip from his YouTube video, he said, “I like Islam, I like the way Islam fights, but I am sharing for you. It does bother me when somebody younger than me gets out of pocket. I don’t know, I have never used the word cowardice, it’s too many syllables. I can’t imagine describing Islam as a coward. I can’t imagine describing a champion of the world who’s ranked no 1., pound for pound, is well, according to me. I was quoted by somebody in the media as having said that, and I had my code, I will make that walk on time every time.” 

He also justified himself against what Makhachev said and retorted, “No matter the weight, no matter the rules, no matter the stakes, no matter the money, no matter the greatness, no matter if there was a belt or there wasn’t a belt. So when Islam is suggesting that I chase anything other than competitiveness, that’s not true. And I don’t think I called him a coward. I am 99% sure I didn’t call him a coward. I am almost positive that I was misquoted.”

However, Sonnen did say the word ‘cowardice’ on an episode of Good Guy / Bad Guy that was uploaded on May 19, 2025. He said, “The bottom line is you entered a division openly that you said you wouldn’t face one of the top guys. That’s not a sign of courage. That’s a sign of cowardice. I don’t love the idea.” As we previously stated, Team Khabib confronted him about these allegations, too! 

Chael Sonnen gets a call from Team Khabib

Makhachev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, had called ‘The Bad Guy’. Sonnen, in his YouTube video, revealed: “I get a phone call from Ali. I have been friends with him for 20 years, and he’s not happy! He said to me, ‘My brother, I respect you. We’re friends but…’ And he begins to defend Islam and Islam’s decision to go up to 170 pounds. And I don’t argue with him. Because I’m well aware of the decision. I’m well aware of what went into it.”

He also mentioned that the lightweight champion moved up the weight class because he was having trouble cutting weight in his division. He added, “I’m well aware that Islam doesn’t have a problem with Ilia Topuria. He’s got a problem with 155 lbs. That’s the problem! This isn’t about champ-champ. This is about I don’t wanna beat the scale anymore. That’s the same thing that Ilia had. Ilia didn’t have a problem with somebody at 145 lbs. He had a problem beating the scale.”

So this means that there is nothing about cowardice going on here, right? What do you think about this whole beef? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.